Dravon, Mazikeen, and Korvath returned to our ship not long after their discussion ended with Saleos.
Their expressions were composed, professional. Whatever decision had been made, it was sealed behind disciplined faces. I didn’t react, didn’t comment, and certainly didn’t mention what I had overheard. If they wanted to pretend this was their idea, I was more than happy to let them.
A faint smile finally appeared on his face. "Then I’ll go forward and gamble on you," he said plainly. "If this works, history will remember it. If it doesn’t... the blame will be mine to bear."
I met his gaze and extended my hand. He took it without hesitation.
Aurora chuckled beside me. "Smart choice, kid," she said, patting Dravon on the shoulder a little too hard. "Most people hesitate longer before betting on such good opportunities."
Dravon let out a short laugh, shaking his head. "I had a feeling hesitation would cost me more."
He turned slightly and gestured toward Korvath.
"Korvath will remain here and take responsibility for your ship. It will be kept secure."
I inclined my head slightly. "That works."
There was no hesitation on either side. A few moments later, we transferred vessels, stepping into Dravon’s ship. The interior felt different immediately, older, heavier, built for long deployments rather than speed or comfort. The walls carried faint heat scars, repaired again and again over years of frontline service.
Once we were underway, Dravon began speaking.
"Before we go any further," he said, "you should understand what you’re about to enter."
The void ahead looked... empty.
"There are two containment structures around every active rift," he continued. "The first is the detection wall. You’ve already seen it."
I nodded. "A net. Not meant to stop anyone. Just to make sure no one passes unnoticed."
Dravon gave a thin smile. "Exactly. It spans the entire operational region. Essence flow, spatial shifts, law fluctuations, even traces of deathmist, it catches all of it. That wall was created by Saints."
The ship continued forward, and I could feel it before I saw it.
A pressure, subtle but unmistakable.
"That’s the second wall," Dravon said quietly. "The concealment veil."
Ahead of us, the void rippled like heat haze across an endless sky. Space itself seemed reluctant to reveal what lay beyond.
"This wall hides the rift," he explained. "And more importantly, it hides all spatial entry points. Without clearance, even locating the battlefield is nearly impossible."
As we approached, I extended my perception.
The structure was... beautiful in a terrifying way.
Illusion laws layered over spatial distortion. Shadow laws braided with darkness, not to erase presence, but to bend awareness. Even my senses slid along its surface unless I actively focused. This wasn’t just concealment. It was denial.
"We’re crossing," Dravon said.
The ship passed through.
For an instant, my senses inverted. Light vanished. Distance lost meaning. Then—
The veil fell away.
And the battlefield revealed itself.
The void beyond was alive. The first thing that struck me was the order.
Dravon gestured forward. "This is our side."
What unfolded before us was structure on a cosmic scale.
Three massive crescent layers curved through the void, arranged concentrically, each one larger than the last, forming a half-circle that faced the distant glow of the rift. Each layer was formed from massive, anchored slabs of rock, with entire structures built atop them, all held together by flowing Essence and reinforced laws.
The outermost crescent was the widest and most distant from the front.
"This is the rear layer," Dravon explained. "Rest, recovery, logistics."
Platforms here were broad and stable, connected by slow-moving transit lanes made of floating chunks of stones. Medical stations glowed with soft light. Entire sections were devoted to reinforcement, repair, and rotation. Demons moved in controlled flows, wounded being brought in while rested troops prepared to move forward.
The second crescent lay closer.
"That is the rotation layer," Dravon said. "Troops cycle through here before and after combat."
These platforms were tighter, more fortified. Training zones, supply depots, command relays. Essence shields shimmered around them. Ships docked and departed constantly.
Then came the inner crescent.
My eyes narrowed.
This layer was dense.
"That is the core defense layer," Dravon said quietly. "The frontline base."
The platforms here were smaller but far more reinforced, built like spears pointed toward the enemy. Every structure was wrapped in overlapping Essence barriers, reinforced by runes and thick metal structures. This was where active combat units staged, launched, and returned under fire.
Beyond it—
Empty space.
A vast, scarred stretch of void where laws collided violently. Flashes of color erupted and vanished. Shockwaves rippled without sound. Essence turbulence twisted space into unstable currents.
"That is the engagement zone," Dravon said. "Where we fight."
And on the far side of that chaos—
Another set of crescents.
Mirroring ours.
Three layers again, but inverted in purpose.
"The Eternals structure their forces the same way," Dravon continued. "But their strongest layer is closest to the rift."
Their outer layer, closest to the battle, was brutal and compact, built for relentless pressure. Their middle layer fed reinforcements endlessly into the fight. And their inner layer, wrapped around the rift itself, pulsed with terrifying authority.
At the very end of it all—
The rift.
It burned like a wound in existence. A multicolored glow radiated outward, shifting constantly, violet, gold, crimson, blue—like a rising sun that refused to set. Laws warped around it, bending toward its center.
Even from this distance, I could feel it pressing back.
We passed through several checkpoints as we moved inward. Each one scanned Dravon’s vessel, runes flaring briefly before clearing us without delay. His authority opened every path.
As we advanced, the pressure increased.
Fluctuations rolled through the ship. Distant detonations rippled across space. I could feel the fight ahead not just hear it, but sense it.
"This rift has been stable for years," Dravon said. "But stability doesn’t mean peace. It means constant pressure."
"Once we cross the final perimeter, everything changes," he said. "From that point on, you’ll be inside an active engagement zone."
His tone grew more serious.
"I’ll take you to my quarters here. I rotate between different rifts, so I keep a private space on each major frontline." He paused briefly. "Once we’re there, we’ll discuss the plan, how you intend to kidnap the commander, and more importantly, how you plan to convince him afterward."